The Runaways
by Scarlett Oakenshield
Summary: Long ago, human mages captured and experimented on Skeletons, hoping to discover the secret behind their unique healing magic. In fear, Gaster locks himself and his sons away in a tower in the heart of the forest to hide them from the world. They know nothing of the world beyond the tower. Until Gaster disappears and a trio of bandits turn their life upside down. Disney Tangled AU!
1. Prologue: The Magic of Two Kingdoms

The Runaways

 _Prologue- The Magic of the Two Kingdoms_

Magic. A strange concept, is it not? Well, not if you break it down. Magic, in simple terms, is just very advanced science. Magic existed before science. In fact, you could say that magic was the first documented science. And mages, mages were the first scientists. Magic has many categories and subtypes, but there are only two main types of magic-monster magic, and human magic.

Although both humans and monsters are born with magic, monster magic is much more powerful than human magic. It can do things that human magic cannot. It is stronger, takes more rapid effect, and has abilities that humans can only fathom. In fact, the monsters possess rarest, most powerful types of magic. This magic is so rare that only one single race of monster are gifted with it: the skeletons. Only skeletons have the power to heal.

But having a power so rare leads to extreme danger. The healing power has long since been sought after by the mages. Many skeletons used to walk the earth, but the mages were so full of greed that they stopped at nothing to try and get their hands on the healing magic. They hunted, killed, captured, and experimented on them, desperate to try and uncover the secret, desperate to uncover the formula and recreate the healing magic all on their own. A war was waged. The skeletons, aided minimally by the other monsters, tried to fight for their kind. But the result was a tragic loss and failure. The humans had strength in numbers, and although the monsters had stronger magic, their souls were much weaker than human souls, and they could be killed very easily. The monsters surrendered, and it resulted of the significant loss of every race, and the wipeout of nearly all the skeletons in existence. After the surrender, the humans and monsters, who had once lived in a harmonious coexistence, split their kingdom into two: Ebbott, the Monster Kingdom, and Aridan, the Human Kingdom, And the few remaining skeletons scattered, and vanished, never to be heard from again.

 _Our story begins during the last few weeks of the conflict that would divide the kingdoms forever._


	2. Prologue: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was dark and stormy. Thunder rumbled so loudly that it threatened to shake the earth. Rain fell in huge gulps, pounding harsh and merciless against the ground. The sky was covered with a layer of thick dark clouds. Neither the stars nor moon were visible, it was pitch black. Wind howled, violently rattling trees and bushes, threatening to tear the roofs off the quaint little houses in the village. It was biting cold. The air was filled with chaos. Amidst the storm, were screams, cries of agony, fear, panic. Explosions, breaking glass, splintering wood, the clang of swords, the banging of cannons. The once peaceful village was under attack.

Inside a small house, a male skeleton in a black cloak over ragged clothing was scrambling in a panicked frenzy as he packed necessities and shoved them into a rucksack. His breathing was harsh and shallow, and his eyes were glowing in fear. Meanwhile, his oldest son, a young boy of only about seven or eight years old, was trying to soothe and calm his infant brother, who was wailing loudly.

"Papyrus...Papyrus…" the boy said through tears as he held his brother against his chest and rocked him, "Papyrus, shh, shh...it's okay...we'll be okay...we'll be okay. We're gonna get out...shh, shh…" To no avail. The boy's lit eye sockets met with his father's.

"Dad, what's going on? What's going to happen to us?" one of the child's eye sockets was glowing blue. His father's eye sockets were also glowing: one orange, one blue. Fear and dread hung over them like a thick cloud of fog, The children's' panic stemmed from the obvious panic of their usually collected father, and the war raging outside. The little boy knew. The father knew. They were coming. They were coming for them. They needed to get out. They needed to get out. Fast. They had already taken most everyone in the village. They had taken Lucida. His wife. The mother of his children. And as far as they knew, they were the only skeletons left.

The skeleton man swung the heavy rucksack onto his back, pulled his hood over his skull and then lifted both of his children into his arms and ran out of the back of the small, once cozy house that they had once called home. He ran from the village he once loved, as it went down in flames and cannon fire. He vanished into the forest, boots crunching through the cold, biting snow.

-xXx-

Gaster did not know how long he had trudged deep into the heart of the forest. Hours? Days? Weeks? There was scarcely any light so there was no way to tell. All he knew was that he was about ready to pass out from exhaustion. His arms, legs, and feet were of aching numbness, and he felt like a hunchback, what walking so hunched over with throbbing back pain. His clothes and the rest of his luggage, were freezing and damp, as it had snowed earlier.

The forest seemed to be endless expanse of tall, dense, dark trees and foliage, with danger and the unknown lurking at every corner. He knew he would have to find some means of shelter and soon. His children were both shivering, however Papyrus seemed to be in a deep, less disturbed sleep. It was Sans that he was concerned about. The eight-year old boy had always been weaker in his health than his brother had, and he was currently shivering and breathing very hard. Gaster could not tell if he was awake or not. He was wrapped in a thick, wool blanket, but it didn't seem to be doing much good. And Wingdings was very concerned. He needed to find shelter and he needed to find it fast.

He continued trudging through the forest, using the lights from his eyes to dimly light the pathway.

Sans suddenly sneezed, "D-dad...I-I'm c-cold…."

"I know, I know...I'm trying to find us shelter. Hang in there."

He continued on, rapidly snapping his gaze around, desperately searching. When he was about ready to give up, something caught his eye. Sunlight, or so at least he thought it was sunlight, shone through a collection of ivy vines that were hanging off a pile of rocks. It seemed like a peculiar thing to have inside a forest. From where he was standing, it just looked like a dead end. But he was desperate, and the fact that the tiny bit of sunlight showing through the vines suggested the remote possibility of shelter, he was going to go for it. He hastily moved forward until he was facing the ivy vines.

"Sans, I know you're cold and exhausted, but I have to put you down for a moment." He set the small statured child onto the ground, and then walked over to the hanging vines. Pushing back some of them, a dark, rocky corridor was revealed, leading into the inside of a small cave. It was very dark, and a bit damp, but it was warmer than the outside world and shelter nonetheless. He could not sense any other presence, and therefore assumed the came was vacant and had been for quite some time. After all, it was almost completely hidden. Holding his infant close, he took his older son by his tiny skeletal hand and led them towards the back of the cave.

His aching bones were screaming to sit down and rest, but getting a fire started and making sure his sons were fed and comfortable enough to sleep was his priority.

"Sans, take your brother for me while I get the fire going."

The small child sat down on the hard floor of the cave, and held out his arms to take his younger brother from his father. He held him close, and the baby made a tiny contented noise and moved slightly to adjust himself, curling into his brother's chest, where the warmth of his soul radiated from.

The boy watched curiously as his father started a fire and laid out blankets for them to sleep on. Once he had laid everything out, he warmed some cold leftover stew over the fire.

-xXx-

"Dad, what's gonna happen?" Sans asked, once the stew had finished and they were at last settled down and had eaten their small meal. They were currently resting on the makeshift bed against the rocks of the cavern wall. Sans was sitting beside his father, leaning against him, while Papyrus's tiny form was curled up on the skeleman's chest.

Gaster sighed, "I don't know, son. But I'll find us somewhere to stay, somewhere that we'll be completely safe and won't have to worry about anyone trying to hurt us again."

"Why did skeleton's have to be cursed with the rarest magic type? It's not fair."

"That, I do not know. But I would not call healing magic a curse. Healing is a beautiful gift that we are lucky enough to have."

"Also unlucky enough. If we didn't have it. If we just had normal magic, then no one would try ta hurt us. We wouldn't have had ta run away from home and leave everythin' behind."

"Yes, I know."

"And Mother would not have had ta die."

Gaster felt as though his soul had been stabbed with a thousand daggers and was suddenly washed over with a wave of grief. His wife had been taken by the mages for her healing power. They had taken her straight out of the garden, where she was tending the flowers. She was taken to suffer the same fate- forced to endure the torturous experimentation that had wiped out many of the skeleton population. He remembered the last time he saw her. She had managed to escape from the lairs and came back home, staggering, battered, and beaten, on the verge of collapse.

He had ran out the door of their small, cozy cottage, and met her on the path. She collapsed into his arms, HP dropping...and dropping...and dropping. He had tried to heal her, he had tried. But it was in vain, and she turned into dust right in his arms.

He was snapped out of the heartbreaking memory by his son's voice.

"I don't want it ta happen again. I _won't_ let it happen again. I'm gonna protect you and Papyrus with everythin' I've got in me! I'm not gonna let a single mage get close to us ever again."

Gaster smiled in spite of himself. He could not help but be amused and proud of his son.

"I am proud if your ambition. However, you are still very young. You may want to protect us, and you may think you can, but the world is much too dangerous for an eight year old child. But, I will start training you to use our defensive magic. It is an important thing to know how to use. But first, we must find a safe place for you and your brother. I still want to give you the childhood you deserve, alright?"

"Okay."

Gaster yawned, "But for now, let us try to get some sleep, my child. If we keep talking we might wake your baby brother."

Sans yawned as well, "G'night Dad."

"Goodnight."

-xXx-

Wingdings awoke early the next morning. He felt the tiny bit of warmth that came from the glowing soul of his infant son, who was asleep on his chest. Sans, meanwhile was sleeping soundly beside him, curled up with a blanket over his tiny body. Very carefully, he lifted the swaddled baby from his chest and gently lay him down beside his brother. Then, he got up off the ground and decided he would scope out the surroundings. It was still quite dark inside the cave, however, for some reason, it was not as dark as one would expect a cave to be. In fact, from where he was standing, the skeleton man saw light at the end of the corridor coming from the cavern they had been sleeping in. Of course, curiosity immediately drove him towards it. He would go for a quick look and then return to his sons. He grabbed his cloak and pulled it around himself, pulling the hood over his face, and then he followed the path of the long, narrow corridor out toward the light.

When he reached the source he realized it was due to a mouth that led out of the cave. He exited the cave, discovering a clearing that lay in a sort of canyon. In the clearing was a frosted grassy field, a pond, and a waterfall pooling over the cliff side, and directly in front of him, was a tall, old tower. It was a very peculiar thing to have in the middle of a forest, but at the same time, it offered some degree of relief. It was shelter, at the very least. However, he needed to make sure it was safe before he brought his sons to it. He walked across the frosty grass towards the old structure. The thing itself was covered thickly in ivy vines, but an examination of the base led him to determine it was still quite sturdy. It was made of thickly packed and crafted stone and brick. There were no doors or stairs, just a large window up at the top, which would require nothing but a simple teleportation to get inside. _Good. I won't have to worry about anyone breaking in and trying to hurt us._

His skill was a bit rusty, but he was able to teleport to the inside of the tower. It was lit by the light from the large windows. It had a musty, stale smell, and the air was dusty, with spider webs in corners and on the ceilings. Perhaps at one point it had been home to someone, but whoever they were, they had been gone for a long time. The tower was completely vacant.

The main room was sort of an all purpose. It had mainly an open area, with a little kitchenette on the side, and a fireplace on the back wall near the middle. There was an old, faded wardrobe, and a dusty armchair. On the far side of the room, there was a winding staircase that led up to the second floor. Gaster climbed the stairs to the second floor. It was mustier, colder, and dirtier up here. There was small hallway, with two little rooms that could be used as bedchambers. It meant Papyrus and Sans had to share, but Gaster doubted they would mind that.

He spent a few more minutes exploring the old tower. It was dirty, and old, and some mice and spiders had definitely made a home of it, and the space was smaller than their old cottage, but, even so, it could work, it merely needed some work done to it, and Gaster could make it like a home. _This can work. So as long as I can keep my sons here, so as long as they do not venture past the cave, we can make this our home. It's isolated. Which means I won't have to worry about any mages or anyone else trying to hurt my family._

He smiled in spite of himself. What a weight lifted off his shoulders this was. And with that, he teleported back out to the base of the tower, and headed back towards the cave. He had already been gone long enough.


	3. Prologue: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Gaster returned to the cave, finding that Sans and Papyrus were both awake. When he saw him, Sans snapped his wide-eyed gaze up from where he was supervising Papyrus as he crawled all over him. His eye socket began glowing and his eyes filled with tears. He set Papyrus on the ground and jumped up immediately, running forward and burying his face in his father's leg.

"Sans?" Gaster was not used to his son acting like this. He got down to his level and wrapped his arms around the child, "Sans, whatever is the matter?" he asked worriedly, as he rubbed his back. As clever as he was, the skeleton man tended to struggle in the emotions department.

"I woke up a-and you were gone!" Sans replied through tears, "I w-was sc-scared..and th-then I h-had a t-terrible vision wh-where mages t-tried to hurt us! A-and I th-thought something happened to you!" He continued to sob, "Especially wh-when y-you weren't coming back!"

Gaster sighed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you, since you don't sleep much. I didn't go far, I just went to scope out the area and I came right back, see. I found a place for us." He continued to soothe him by rubbing his back and talking softly.

Sans shook his head into the fabric of Gaster's cloak, gripping fistfuls in his tiny hands. Feeling the sudden tense change in mood, Papyrus crawled over and made a small noise, pulling at the sleeve of Sans' coat and looking up at him with an expression that was on the verge of tears. The boy sniffled and turned, looking down at him with his face stained with magic blue tears. Seeing that his brother was unhappy, Papyrus started to tear up.

Gaster quickly gathered both of his sons in each arm, hugging them tightly, "Shh, shh, it's alright. I'm here. I'm sorry I left without telling you. It was not very smart of me to do so, I'm sorry." For several more moments he soothed them, talking softly, rubbing their backs and rocking gently, until at last they calmed down and stopped crying.

Sans pulled away, eyes still misty, but he had recovered from his panicked scare, "Just, please promise you won't do it again."

Gaster smiled warmly, "I won't leave you again without telling you, I promise." he said sincerely.

Sans sniffled again, "Okay."

Gaster took his large hand and gently patted Sans's skull, "Now, as I said, I found I place for us. It's a little smaller than our cottage, but we can make it our own, and it's safe and isolated, so we won't have to worry about anyone hurting us."

"Where is it?" Sans asked.

"Beyond the cave is a canyon, and in the canyon is a tower."

"Like a prison tower?"

Gaster chuckled in spite of himself. "Maybe it was, but we are going to make it feel like home."

"Nothing is gonna feel like home but our cottage." Sans said defensively.

Gaster did not really know how to respond. Sans did occasionally have attitude problems, but this was a bit unexpected.

Gaster closed his eye sockets, and a small smirk pulled the corner of his skeletal grin, and he sighed, "Maybe not, but in time we'll get used to it. Now, we should get going, alright."

"Okay Dad."

Gaster slowly got off the ground, cracking his spine.

"Will you take your brother while I get packed up?"

"Yeah." He held out his short little arms to receive the tiny skeleton. The baby eagerly reached forward into his brother's waiting arms. Holding him in both hands, and keeping him against his hip the best he could, Sans stepped off to the side while Gaster began packing up the blankets and dishes. Sans watched with admiration as his father used his violet lifting powers- teleki-something or other-as it was called-if the intelligent eight-year-old remembered correctly, to put away the items.

 _Someday, I'm going to be really good at that._ Sans thought to himself.

He zoned out for a moment as he watched, only to be pulled out his trance when he felt a gaze burning into him. He looked down. Papyrus was studying him curiously with his wide eye sockets, cocking his head. He was no doubt wondering what his brother was thinking. Perhaps he was studying his brother's eyes flit in between colors as it did when he dissociated.

When the matching pairs of eye sockets met, Papyrus offered his brother a huge grin with a cute little noise that sounded like "Nyeh!" Sans's permanent grin seemed to widen a bit.

"Heya bro." he said.

"Nyeh!"

The older brother chuckled. His baby brother sure was cute.

"Alright. Come along now." Gaster hoisted the rucksack onto his back and took Papyrus from Sans, holding him against him in one hand, and taking Sans's tiny hand with the other. Then, he proceeded to walk down the long, narrow corridor back toward the clearing.

-xXx-

"That's the tower?" Sans asked for clarification.

"Yes, it is."

"It's kinda creepy."

"There's nothing it it to be afraid of, my child. Spiders, and some mice, but nothing else."

"There's no door or stairs, so how are we gonna get up there?"

"You're a very smart child, you know." Gaster said affectionately, "Now, take my hand and close your eyes. I'm going to teleport us up into the tower."

"Why do I have to close my eyes? I want to see how you do it."

Gaster smiled, amused. Sans could be difficult when he wanted to.

"There really is not much to see. And it will probably make you dizzy."

"Then how do you do it?"

"I think of where I want to go, and I close my eyes and focus. In my mind I picture everything, using all five senses if it is possible, and then, due to this, I am able to physically go to the place in my mind. Do you understand?"

Sans nodded.

"Now, I'm going to teleport us. Close your eyes."

The child quietly obeyed, closing his eyes. For a moment, it felt as though there was a gust of wind, his stomach fluttered, and very briefly, he felt a dark emptiness, before he felt the stone against his feet, and smelled the musty odor of the old tower.

Sans fluttered open his eye sockets. Around him was the dim, musty room of the tower that was to be his new home. It was not as dark as he expected, what with the light coming in through the window and the light streaming in from the much smaller windows near the top of the roof.

"It looks like a dump." he commented bluntly.

Gaster chuckled. "It's a little old and rundown now, but with some cleaning and some furniture, we can make it a relatively livable place." Gaster said, "It is not the cottage and it never will be, but at least here we have a bigger yard and a safe house, so it's much safer than the old village."

"Where do we sleep?"

"Upstairs there's two bedrooms. You and your brother will have to share one, but we can make it look like what you want it to, alright?"

"It's fine."

"Now, there's a broom up against that wall, whaddya say we start cleaning up?"

"I can babysit Papyrus and you can clean." Sans said.

"Not wanting to help, are we?" Gaster said, "Well, alright. I'll cut you some slack because of what we've been through the past couple of days. If you entertain Papyrus and keep him out of trouble, I'll do the cleaning."

* * *

Within a span of a couple of months, the tower began to feel more like a home. Gaster used what was left of his life's gold savings to buy some new furniture in Ebbott, the monster kingdom: a small wood table and chairs, and a bed. He also purchased necessities: extra food, fresh water, and some fabric to make clothes. And luckily, whoever had lived in the tower before them, had left some things there. A mahogany wardrobe, an old scratchy armchair, an old bed and mattress, a chest, some canvas that he put up as curtains, some old books, a few old, abstract things, and a spindle and wheel. As far as other things, when he had fled the village, he had some small possessions. A dusty puzzle, some books, extra clothing, plenty of blankets, and some dishes: a pot, a pan, some silver and bowls, cups, and saucers, a cracked kettle, an old family portrait, and a raggedy teddy bear. There wasn't much, just the basic essentials and a few other things, but it was enough to get them by, at least for the time being.

Gaster knew a time would come when he'd run out of money, and he would have to find work somehow. He had worked back in the village, as a mage and inventor, but he couldn't go back to Snowdin. Snowdin had been burned down and destroyed by humans.

Bitterness burned in the core of his soul. _Damn those cold-hearted monster killers._

He sighed. One day, one day soon. He was going the have to work again. He was going to have to put himself back into the world. He was going to have to leave isolation. The very thought of that filled him with paranoia and unease. With fear. And with dread. But he knew that there was no way to avoid facing it. He needed to take care of his sons. That was his priority. And he would do whatever he had to do.


	4. Prologue: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The day that he had to work again came too soon. With his boys constantly growing, they needed the energy from the magic ingredients. Gaster would go into town often, especially during market days when everything was being sold for the low equilibrium price. He'd bring a basket, and with his dark cloak over his head, and gloves on his hands, his identity would be kept a secret as he wandered the streets and bought things from the market. He figured that the townspeople in Ebbott just thought him as a mysterious wandering wizard, and seemed unbothered by his company. No one knew his name, so they had given him a nickname: The Man Who Speaks in Hands. This was because he spoke Wingdings, a language that had been spoken by skeletons for generations, as well as the same language that resulted in his namesake. He spoke more Wingdings than the Common Tongue. He had picked up enough common tongue to carry on simple conversation, and he had gotten some grammar and vocabulary books from the bookseller to help him improve. Common Tongue was not that hard to learn, but he preferred Wingdings. Oftentimes, when he did have conversation, his rapid dialogue would be a mixture of common tongue and Wingdings, accompanied by rapid signing and hand gestures. So thus, that was how he received his name. And, he was fine with that. He was simply a shadow in the light, going unnoticed by others, and through his many trips to the town, he was able to learn of the town and of its people. He knew that the bookkeeper was a yellow dinosaur-like monster and that he had an adorable, chubby little daughter with big round glasses who always seemed to be in the section with the picture books. He knew that all the children in the town were slightly afraid of Undyne, a fire-cracker of a little fish girl, who was one of the tallest, toughest children in Ebbott. (Which was strange considering she was only about five or six, so Gaster had heard.) He knew how much everyone loved King Dreemur and his family. He also found out, when listening in on one of the conversations of a group of mothers that King Dreemur was benevolent and kind and quite fond of flowers. He knew the Gursten, a loopy old tortoise man, ran a little curiosity shop near the Ebbott river, that had become a sort of bustling dock area with constant imports and exports, as well as an event of sorts, not matter how small, always going on. He knew who sold the best food and artifacts, and he knew the schedule of events that were constantly going on in the squared. Over all, he quite enjoyed the friendliness of the town. It reminded him of Snowdin, in a way, it was just bigger, and more crowded-which was not such a bad thing. It allowed him to slip through crowds unnoticed and undisturbed. Suffice to say, he always looked forward to his day trips to Ebbott, and he hoped that someday, perhaps when they were older and he was less paranoid about dangers, he'd bring Sans and Papyrus into town.

However, it was not long before he found himself running out of gold. The fact that he was low on on gold then, had him returning to Ebbott for a different reason that was not shopping. This reason was to sell and make money. Gaster had spent many a time walking through the forest on the outskirts of the town. So much so that he knew where all the rarest, most unique flowers were. Since he knew the king was fond of flowers-which therefore made a majority of the monsters of Ebbott fond of flowers-he figured he'd try to sell some. The most popular flowers in the town were the Golden Flowers. They were the symbol of Ebbott and the symbol of the king. As a whole, there were only a couple of small flower vendors that sold them, and they sold them for a pretty expensive price. However, they were so popular that people bought them anyway. And they bought them all the time, which resulted in them selling out very quickly.

On his walk through the woods one day, Gaster had discovered an entire bed of large, wild golden flowers. He picked some and put them in his basket, figuring he'd be able to sell them quite easily in the square. He'd sell them for a lower price than the other vendors, which, of course, would cause more people to buy them from him (and probably would not make the other vendors all too happy, but whatever). He would not really make a business out of it, he'd sell a few on Market Day, just so that he could get enough money to buy food and support his family.

As he predicted, his endeavor was successful. The first time he tried it, he made a decent amount of gold off of them. And it was the same case again, and again. Thus, now, every market day, he'd pick the flowers, prepare them properly, and go into Ebbott to sit on the cobblestoned fountain and sell them in the square.

-xXx-

"So people really buy those gold flowers?" Sans inquired over dinner one evening.

"Yes." Gaster replied.

"But wouldn't they get tired of them? Why is everyone in Ebbott obsessed with them?"

"Golden Flowers are the King's favorite." Gaster answered, "He made them the symbol of his family, of the town, and of the castle, so, as you can imagine, the townspeople love them." Sans glanced at the vase of Golden Flowers next to the window.

"So, you're not the only one who sells flowers, are ya?" the boy questioned.

"That I am not. There are others."

"Don't they get upset with you for taking their customers?" Sans asked.

"Not that I know of. I only go out to sell mine on market days, which happen twice a week, and golden flowers are so popular that none of us have trouble selling out of them."

"You should try selling other types too."

A smile curved across Gaster's face, and he patted his son on the head, "That is not a bad idea. But what other kinds do you suggest I sell?"

Suddenly, Papyrus chimed in from his seat, "Echo! Echo!" whilst he banged his spoon against his bowl. He had just turned a year old and was beginning to speak words as opposed to just babbling, gurgling, or making other strange infant noises.

Sans chuckled, "Heh. Paps might actually be onto something."

"What do you mean, Sans?"

"You know when you brought us back that blue flower that repeated the last thing we said to it?"

"The echo flower, you mean?" Gaster replied, "That is what it is called."

"Yeah. Why don't ya try selling those? I mean, golden flowers can get kind of boring. Why not try selling something unique and more interesting like echo flowers? I bet kids my age would get a kick outta that, don't ya think, Dad?"

"That is not a bad idea, Sans. I think I might actually try it."

-xXx-

And so he did. Honestly, he was pleasantly surprised by the result. He actually made decent profit off of the echo flowers. In conversing with satisfied customers, he learned that the children loved playing with the echo flowers. They made them repeat strange things that were apparently hilarious to the youth, they were used in imaginary fairytale games, and they were used to make wishes. They also helped with home security in a way-for planted in people's yards they repeated what they heard from the street, including suspicious activity. And finally, among many other uses, the echo flowers were used to, sort of "record" messages and letters, since they often mimicked the voices of monsters who used them. They were quickly sought after by many of the townspeople, and by the other vendors.

However, every time they asked where Gaster had got them, he spun some tall tale about a "perilous quest to go and gather them", and how they were very rare, sacred, and could not be found except by those who already knew where they were. As one would imagine, the other vendors were not too keen about such vague answers, but it was obvious they were a bit weary of the Man Who Speaks in Hands. So, in a way, they were sort of forced to let it go. So thus, Gaster was the only one who sold these special, slightly more expensive flowers. (They were rare after all.)

For awhile, his flower business was quite successful. But as fate would have it, it could only last for so long. It lasted until the colder months, when the Spring became Summer, then Fall, and Winter, and the flower season ended. Turned out, even the magic echo flowers could not conquer the cold, and they disappeared with the other Spring and Summer flowers. He had tried to sell Snow Drops and other winter flowers, but he was not as successful. So, thus, he decided to find another job in Ebbott, for the time being, until he could sell his Echo Flowers again.

That winter job he found success in was being a boat taxi on the Ebbott River. Because the weather changed, and it was much colder outside, many of the townspeople did not want to walk in the biting cold from point A to point B. Through some unknown explanation (it was most likely magic and some clever bartering and negotiating on the Skeleton Man's part), he acquired a boat, that, for a few coins, someone could take it as a taxi so that they did not have to walk in snow or cold. A lot of areas in Ebbott were situated near the river, and frankly, it was much faster to take Gaster's magic-powered wooden boat than walk. He began going by a new name: the Riverperson. Yes, Riverperson. Not riverman. Was he male or female? No one knew. For, he considered himself quite good at "mimicking" and "impressions", so he was able to fluctuate his voice to point that it sounded neither masculine, nor feminine.

He figured, that, by changing his name, he'd be able to keep his reputation has a mysterious individual with no "official" name. The way he saw it, it was the best way to protect himself and his sons. So far, no one had discovered his true identity yet, and he liked it that way.

-xXx-

 _ **Two Years Later**_

W.D. Gaster became a permanent freelancer. From where he had begun his work by finding new jobs in town daily, to selling flowers in the square on market days, to becoming the river-person, and then to working at the local pub- Grillby's. He never really settled down with one job. In fact, he worked all three. By day, he was the Riverperson, on market days, twice a week, for three-four hours in the afternoons, he sold flowers the magical concoctions and creations he made in the square, and evenings he'd work a short shift at _Grillby's._ The sentient flame-owner and manager, was a mild-mannered bartender. He never talked, he preferred to sign, which Gaster loved about him.

Honestly, despite working three jobs, Gaster did not talk as much as one would expect. The most he talked was when he sold flowers and the magical concoctions and creations he made on market days. (Yes, a while back, his scatterbrained mind suddenly realized that he could have been doing so the whole time, so he went ahead and added it to his workload.) The rest of the time, he just quietly and mysteriously did his jobs. He was constantly gone from the tower, because he was constantly working in town. He felt terrible leaving his sons alone all the time. He would only see them in the morning before he left, and on his day and a half off he'd have during each week. By the time he got home from work, his sons were already asleep, although sometimes Sans was awake, so he was still able to talk to him and bond with him.

And on his day and a half off, Gaster would really try to use that time to spend and mentor Sans and Papyrus, but he was always so tired that he spent that time asleep. Mostly because he barely slept at night anyway. He always had much more energy late at night, and he'd use the night hours and sometimes the very early hours of the morning to keep up on his mage work in the woods. (He had made a large cavern of the cave that led to the canyon into a sort of laboratory area.)

Gaster really did wish he could spend more time with Sans and Papyrus, but he had to work to support them. Those three jobs allowed him to do so. However, a part of him hoped that one day soon, he'd be able to settle down with one full-time normal job, which would allow him extra time with his sons. He also hoped that he could work as a mage like he used to. His magic was exceptional, if he said so himself, and, honestly, aside from spending what little time he could with his family, it was what he preferred above anything else.

* * *

However, despite Gaster's thoughts that his presence basically went unnoticed, the science of magic was very much wrong. Everyone knew about him. The mysterious cloaked freelancer known as the _Man who Speaks in Hands._ There were many stories and rumors surrounding him and his mysterious existence. However, the most popular one was that he was actually a very powerful mage trying to blend in with the crowd. Some people were scared of him-they thought he was secretly conspiring and planning death and corruption, others were fascinated and were compelled to get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounded him. However, those who tried to question him, of course, never got straight answers, as he seldom spoke in words, and most never talked about himself or his personal life.

The king was very curious about this _Man who Speaks in Hands_ , and he was quite determined to get to the bottom of this little mystery.

-xXx-

* * *

 **A/N: Forgot to say my usual welcome to a new fic. So, welcome to my new, (and first) Undertale fic. Sorry I have not updated in a while, I have been very busy. Anyway, these chapters are all gonna be pretty short. I write chapters more as short "scenes" or "sections". I just like to call them plot points. I don't want to put too many major plot points in one chapter, so that is why I like to keep my chapters short and sweet and to the point. Also, sorry this chapter has a lot of narration and not much dialogue, and I realize it's kind of fast-paced. Sorry. But I'm still kind of in the prologue/exposition, and I want to get through it relatively quickly so I can actually get into the cute little story I have planned for this. I'm hoping to be out of the prologue bits in the next couple of chapters. Anyway! Stay tuned! Bye for now!**


	5. Prologue: Chapter 4

Prologue- Chapter 4

The heavy double doors of the castle swung open and two guardsmen walked in. Their feet echoed against the marble floor as they made their way to the foot of the throne where the king, who was a huge goat-like monster with magnificent horns and a golden beard and hair, was seated in a purple and gold throne. There were five thrones in the room, Two larger ones and three smaller ones. but the other four remained unoccupied. The rest of the Dreemurr family would come in later.

When the guards arrived at the foot of the thrones, they got down to their knees and dipped their heads in respect, before receiving the gentle order to stand up.

"You sent for us, your majesty." said one of the guardsmen.

"How may we be of service, King Dreemurr?"

"I have a message I would like you to deliver to the Man who Speaks in Hands." Asgore replied, "Tell him that you come in peace, and that the king wishes to speak with him over tea. Then, proceed to escort him to the castle."

"Pardon me, your majesty, but what if The Man who Speaks in Hands declines your order?"

"You may tell him, then, that I have a job offer for him. However, should he still refuse, respect that and report back to me so I can consider other alternatives. Unless he attacks first, do not attempt to attack him or take him by force, as I have no intention to cause any sort of conflict." Asgore answered regaly.

"As you command, your grace." The guardsmen replied. With that, they dipped their heads respectfully once more.

"You may take your leave, now."

With that, the guardsmen turned and left the throne hall, making towards the front doors.

Gaster was enjoying a brief break from transporting townspeople in his boat along the river. He was simply in a repose, seated on the wooden bench, with his oar in the bottom of the boat, and his dark cloak pooling to the floor. He was singing very softly. He sang a simple, ludicrous little tune of "Tra la la" as he enjoyed the feeling of the chilly breeze on his face that was yet another reminder of his old home in Snowdin Town.

Suddenly, though, the sound of heavy approaching, metallic footsteps snapped him out of his dissociation. He snapped his head up instantly, eyes glowing beneath the hood of his cloak. Two large monster dressed from head to toe in heavy, glinting armor, and carrying giant spears were approaching him. He knew that they were members of the royal guard. He took a deep breath.

"Good afternoon, soldiers. How may I help you? Would you like a ride in my boat, tra la la."

"You are the Man who Speaks in Hands, are you not?" asked the first guard.

"Sometimes I am. And sometimes I am just the riverperson, tra la la. As you can see, as of right now, I am the riverperson, tra la la."

"Well, riverperson," began the second guard, "We come with good tidings and a message to you from the king."

"Oh?" Gaster's voice jumped with curiosity, "And what would the king like to tell me?"

"He wishes to speak with you over tea," responded the first guard who had spoke, "We have been sent to escort you to the castle."

Fancy that. I wonder the king wants from me? He was both excited and slightly nervous. Did he wish to order flowers in person? What if the king wished to offer him a home in the town? He would have to bring his sons back into society much sooner than he wanted to. What if he asked to talk about himself? What if he was asked to reveal his identity? Then everyone would know that he was a skeleton. Oh, what would happen if they knew? Part of him wanted to refuse an audience with the king, however, he knew it would be impolite to do so. He took a deep breath.

"Very well." Gaster dipped his head, "I will go with you to see the king. Give me one moment, please." He pulled himself and his boat closer to the wooden dock by seizing the tough braided rope. Then, he climbed carefully up to the dock, and was stuck in between both guardsmen (who were much taller and larger than him in his lean form.) He pulled his hood tighter around his head and kept it down as he walked with the guards towards the castle.

The large double doors of the castle swung open slowly with a large creaking sound. Gaster followed the guards down the long corridor, boots echoing loudly in the halls as they walked on the marble floor. Gaster looked around him. The corridor alone was bigger than any other room he had seen in his life. He could barely fathom how huge the rest of the castle was.

The corridor seemed to go on for ages before they came to a stop in a throne room. It was a large, open, dome-shaped room with large windows on all sides, letting in the sunlight. You could even hear the birds chirping. The marble floor of the room was also covered in golden flowers.

They came to a stop at the foot of five thrones. Each one was occupied. In the middle, on the largest throne, was the king himself. A huge goat-like monster in purple robes. Beside him was a slightly smaller throne. In this one was a smaller goat monster, and a beautiful one at that. She was dressed in similar violet and white robes, and she had a kind face. Gaster came to the conclusion that this was the queen. The last three thrones were much smaller. Each one was occupied by a child. One of the children was a goat monster like his parents, and the other two were human. They looked very similar to each other, with brown hair in a short bob style, although one had a pale complexion and the other had a darker complexion. The sight of the humans made Gaster very weary. However, the rational side of his mind said that they were only mere children, and the royal children at that. So what harm could they really do?

-xXx-

The guards got down on their knees to show their respect to the royal family, and Gaster followed suit.

"We've brought the Man who Speaks in Hands as you requested, your majesty." said guard number one.

The goat monster's warm gaze met with Gaster's beneath the hood of his cloak.

"Welcome." he said. He had a deep, regal sounding voice that was quite gentle and welcoming, "I am Asgore Dreemurr, the King of Ebbott. This is my wife, Queen Toriel Dreemurr, and my three children, Asriel, Chara, and Frisk. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Your Highness."

"I am sure you are wondering, why I called you here." Asgore said.

"Yes, I am."

"I have a proposition for you. However, we will discuss it over tea in the garden." Asgore said, "Come, let us get going." He lifted himself off the throne, and escorted Gaster through the castle, out towards the back courtyard. Walking through the castle Gaster observed the golden statues and wall linings. The wallpaper was of a floral celtic designs, in shades of purple, white, and gold.

-xXx-

They reached the back of the castle. The king pushed open the oaken doors that were engraved with a twisting vine design, with painted golden flowers.

He led Gaster into a large garden that looked like every stereotypical castle garden ever. There were birds singing, large hedges cut into shapes, plants and flowers of countless colors and large trees with a cobbled courtyard and a large stone fountain in the middle. And all around, there were cobbled pathways that allowed one to navigate their way safely through the flora without stepping on any of the beautiful plants. There was also an arched, white-stoned bridge, crossing over the creek that snaked it's way through the entire garden. In one corner was a gazebo, where a table was set neatly waiting for them.

Neither the king nor the skeleton talked very much as they walked, for what was there for two newly acquainted people to say?

They walked down the snaking path, and climbed the stone steps of the gazebo up to the small square table that was already set. There was metal rack, with two platters, already filled with tiny sandwiches, muffins, and scones. And within minutes of sitting down, the butler rolled out a tea cart and served their cups of tea.

"Help yourself to anything you'd like." the king said.

"Thank you, your Majesty." Gaster plucked two cucumber sandwiches and a poppyseed muffin from the platters.

Once they had eaten some, the King took a sip of his tea, and then let the cup clank to the saucer.

"My people seem to be very curious about you. So naturally I am as well. " He began, "A mysterious freelance who practices magery, they say. A man who Speaks with Hands. However, you know people talk. So, I would like to know the truth. Who are you, really?"

A smile spread across Gaster's mouth.

"What the villagers say is true. I am the man who Speaks with Hands, and I am a freelance. On market days, I'm a salesperson. I sell flowers. Sometimes I'm the riverperson. For a few gold pieces, I take people where they need to go, by night, I work at Grillby's. That is how I make my living as of now."

"I see." Asgore replied, "But what is meant exactly by Speaking in Hands? Do you use sign language?"

"Partially. The Common Tongue is not my first language, so I use sign language to help communicate with your people. Occasionally, I find myself slipping into my first language."

"What is your first language?" Asgore asked curiously.

Gaster stiffened. No. Asgore seemed like a kind man, but as a skeleton he had learned not to trust anyone. By answering the King's question, he would give away his true identity. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that. But he couldn't lie to the king. He took a deep breath.

"My first language is an old, dying language that is seldom to no longer spoken." he answered.

"Oh?" Asgore replied, "What language? There are many dying languages nowadays."

"...Wingdings."

"The language of the Skeletons?"

"Yes, your majesty." then Gaster sighed, "I guess there is no other way around it now." he took off the hood of his quote, "My name is W.D. Gaster."

Asgore smiled warmly and held out a hand. Gaster took it, and received a firm, formal handshake. "It is honor to meet your acquaintance. We have not seen Skeletons in a long time."

When he released his hand, Asgore said, "I can tell that you are not very comfortable about your true identity, so we will keep it between us. I will say, though, you are in no danger here. I can assure you of that."

"Thank you." Gaster's gratefulness was apparent in his voice.

"And how about magery? Is that true as well?" Asgore questioned.

"Yes."

"And how well would you say you do that skill?"

"Quite well, I have been practicing magery since I was a boy, and I worked as a successful mage for years in my old town."

The king nodded with a thoughtful "Hmm."

"Do you specialize in any specific area of magery?"

"Healing, although, as you know, that is a natural gift I possess as a skeleton. I'm better in some areas than I am in others, but I am honestly more of a jack-of-trades than anything. However, there is still much to practice, research, and learn as there always is."

Asgore smiled beneath his golden beard.

"I am glad to hear that. In that case, I have a job offer for you." Asgore began, "I have been needing a royal mage myself. I am offering you a job, working as the royal mage in my castle. I would pay you generously, and you'd only be required to work full time during the days. And at night, you may go home."

There was no way Gaster was going to decline this offer. With a full time job during the day, he'd actually have time to spend with his sons.

"I accept." Gaster answered with a smile, "When do I start?"

"How is tomorrow for you?" Asgore replied.

"That works well for me."

"Good, I'm glad."

-xXx-

They finished their tea and their mid-morning meal, and upon this, Gaster thanked the kind-hearted king and left the castle, pulling his hood over his head, with the long, dark cloak swishing behind him like a cape.

He went off to Grillby's, and thanked the sentient flame for the job opportunity, and quit without any hard feelings.

Eventually, he would find someone to replace him as the riverperson, and he'd sell his boat, perhaps. But right now, he was going to get back to his sons.

 **A/N: Hello, hello! So sorry this took so long. I'll be wrapping up the prologue next chapter. Then the full story will begin. Also, I am putting the full Dreemur family in this fic, because I have a soft spot for them. Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for the next chapter! Bye!**


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